Augmented reality game piece

ABSTRACT

A game piece with a moveable base for use in an augmented reality (AR) game system is disclosed An object recognizing computing device enforces game rules. A main body is configured for unique, visible object recognition by the object recognizing computing device. A motorized base is detachably and re-attachably coupled to the main body and in communication with said transceiver, the base configured to physically move the game piece over a distance on a field of play from a first position on the field of play to a second position on the field of play in response to receiving an actuating signal from the processor. The game environment is set up using real-world objects that include everyday objects and a plurality of game pieces on a field of play.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/478,901 filed on Sep. 5, 2014 and entitled “AUGMENTED REALITY GAMINGSYSTEMS AND METHODS” the entirety of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Toys can provide both entertainment and education to children. Varioustoys that include dolls and action figurines made of wood, stone andclay were used since Roman and Egyptian times. Painted dolls andsoldiers evolved in the 18^(th) century which led to the development ofmodern day “photo-realistic” plastic figurines. Many hobbyists evencollect figurines associated with particular characters or themes suchas G.I. Joe. While stand-alone figurines allow children to use theirimagination to make up their own games, figurines can also form part ofmore structured play like, board games and war games that involvestrategy. Many board games however, have complex rules which demandgreat concentration and memory from the players.

SUMMARY

Different embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and methodsthat facilitate augmented reality gaming for players. Embodiments permita player to interact with game pieces and real world objects, that whenviewed through a computing device configured for game play, appearvisually different. The computing device, among other functions, scansthe field of play, determines game rules are being followed, and cansend and receive signals to and from game pieces, and/or implement userentered instructions, to control the appearance, behavior, position,motion, capabilities and/or physical integrity of game pieces and otherreal world objects in the field of play.

A method of implementing an AR game system is disclosed in oneembodiment. The method comprises identifying, by a processor of acomputing device, a field of play that includes a plurality of physicalobjects. Physical game pieces are differentiated from other field ofplay objects in the plurality of physical objects placed within thefield of play. The field of play is displayed by the processor as aterrain for an AR (Augmented Reality) game on a display screen. Each ofthe field of play objects is displayed with a virtual appearance thatdiffers from its appearance in the real world. The placements of theplurality of physical objects within the field of play are checked todetermine if they comport with game rules. If they do not comport withthe game rules, the processor provides feedback to a user of thecomputing device so that the placements can be adjusted to comport withthe game rules. When the processor determines that the placement of theplurality of physical objects comport with the game rules, it signalsthe user that the AR game may be commenced.

In some embodiments, an image of at least one of the physical gamepieces shown on the display screen is augmented with at least oneadditional virtual control that can be activated by a user input. Insome embodiments, the activation of the additional virtual controlcauses a physical change to the at least one physical game piece. Insome embodiments, activation of the virtual control causes a change inanother game piece. In some embodiments, the processor can be configuredto execute a graphic animation upon the activation of the virtualcontrol in addition to causing a physical change to the other gamepiece. The other physical game piece(s) can be located in physicalproximity to the at least one physical game piece or in a geographiclocation that is remote from the location of at least one physical gamepiece. Thus players of the game need not be co-located.

In some embodiments, at least one of the physical objects placed in thefield of play is an unknown object and the processor is configured todisplay the unknown object as an element of the terrain in the AR game.If the unknown object does not comport with the game rules, theprocessor instructs the user to replace the unknown object. Moreover,the image of is not augmented or remains unchanged if the unknown objectdoes not comport with the game rules.

In some embodiments, the physical game pieces are known to the processorvia respective identifiers and when a new game piece is added to thefield of play, a signal is received from the new game piece forregistering its identifier with the processor. Upon registration, theprocessor displays an augmented image of the new game piece within theterrain of the AR game.

In some embodiments, a plurality of options related to the AR game areprovided by the processor for user selection. When the user selection ofone of the plurality of options is received by the processor, itoverlays the terrain associated with the user selected option on thefield of play.

In some embodiments, a user selection of one of the physical game piecesis received by the processor for generation of a point of view displayand the point of view display of the terrain presenting positions of thephysical game pieces in the field of play based on a perspective of theselected physical game piece is generated and displayed on a screen ofthe computing device.

In some embodiments, the processor further transmits a signal to affectan attribute of one or more of an element in the virtual environment orone or more of the physical game pieces at a predetermined time point(s)in the AR game. In some embodiments, the time point can be determinedrelative to the progress of the game or based on time elapsed since theoccurrence of particular events or calculated based on one or more ofthe foregoing. In some embodiments, the affected attributes can be oneor more of the physical or virtual attributes (by way of non-limitingexample the deterioration of a playing field as a result of virtual rainor snow or the repeated passage of game pieces). For each attribute thatis affected, the extent to which it is affected can be calculated insome embodiments. For example, if the attribute is affected in responseto a game event, the extent to which the attribute is affected candepend on the intensity of the event. Thus, the extent of change in anattribute can be calculated based on the characteristics of the eventthat caused the change. In an embodiment, the signal is transmittedwithout user input.

An apparatus comprising at least one processor and a storage medium fortangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor isdisclosed in one embodiment. The program logic executed by the processorcomprises, field identifying logic for identifying a field of play forplacement of a plurality of physical objects and game piece identifyinglogic for identifying physical game pieces among the plurality ofphysical objects placed within the field of play so as to differentiatebetween the game pieces and the field of play objects. Displaying logicis executed by the processor, for visibly displaying on a display screenof the apparatus, the field of play as a terrain for an AR (AugmentedReality) game, wherein each of the field of play objects is displayedwith a virtual appearance that differs from an appearance of the fieldof play object in the real world. The processor executes determining fordetermining if placements of the plurality of physical objects comportwith game rules. Feedback logic, is executed by the processor, forproviding feedback to a user of the apparatus if the placements orattempted actions or moves do not comport with the game rules and if theplacement of the plurality of physical objects comport with the gamerules, signaling logic is executed by the processor, for signaling tothe user that the AR game may be commenced.

In some embodiments, feedback logic can also provide feedback to theusers regarding the moves they execute in a game. For example, at agiven turn during the game, the feedback logic can provide feedbackregarding the moves the user can make from the current position or thecapabilities of the game piece the user selected to make the move. Insome embodiments, the feedback logic can provide information to a userregarding the capabilities of a selected game piece. In someembodiments, the feedback logic can provide information to the userregarding the special rules associated with particular game instances,events or other game entities as will be detailed further herein.

In some embodiments, augmenting logic is executed by the processor, foraugmenting an image of at least one of the physical game pieces shown onthe display screen with at least one additional virtual control. Theprocessor also executes input receiving logic for receiving user inputto activate the additional virtual control, wherein the activation ofthe additional virtual control causes a physical change to the at leastone physical game piece, animation logic, for displaying a graphicanimation upon the activation of the additional virtual control andchange logic for causing a physical change to another one of thephysical game pieces. At least one of the physical objects can be placedin the field of play is an unknown object. Furthermore, the processorexecutes logic for displaying the unknown object as an element of theterrain in the AR game. If the unknown object does not comport with thegame rules, the processor executes instructing logic for instructing theuser to replace the unknown object. In some embodiments, the processorexecutes new game piece logic for receiving a signal from an new gamepiece for identification and inclusion within the field of play, gameoptions providing logic, for providing a plurality of options related tothe AR game for user selection, option receiving logic for receiving theuser selection of one of the plurality of options and overlaying logicfor overlaying the terrain associated with the user selected option onthe field of play.

In some embodiments, a point of view display of the terrain presentingpositions of the physical game pieces in the field of play based on aperspective of a selected physical game piece and for displaying thepoint of view display on a screen of the computing device is generatedby point-of-view display generating logic executed by the processor. Theprocessor also executes logic for transmitting a signal to affect anattribute of at least one of the physical game pieces at a predeterminedtime point in the AR game.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprisinginstructions for implementing an AR game system is disclosed in oneembodiment. The computer readable medium comprises instructions thatcause the processor to identify a field of play for placement of aplurality of physical objects placed within the field of play so as todifferentiate between the game pieces and the field of play objects. Theinstructions further cause the processor to visibly display on a displayscreen of a computing device, the field of play as a terrain for an AR(Augmented Reality) game, wherein each of the field of play objects isdisplayed with a virtual appearance that differs from an appearance ofthe field of play object in the real world and determine if placementsof the plurality of physical objects comport with game rules and providefeedback to a user of the computing device if the placements do notcomport with the game rules. If the processor senses that the placementof the plurality of physical objects comport with the game rules, itsignals to the user that the AR game may be commenced.

In some embodiments, the computer readable storage medium also compriseinstructions that cause the processor to augment an image of at leastone of the physical game pieces shown on the display screen with atleast one additional virtual control and receive user input to activatethe additional virtual control. In some embodiments, the computerreadable storage medium further comprises instructions, that cause theprocessor to display a graphic animation upon the activation of theadditional virtual control and transmit a signal for causing a physicalchange to at least one of the game pieces. Further instructions arecomprised with the storage medium for the processor to display anunknown object in the field of play as an element of the terrain in theAR game.

A toy figurine comprising a processor, a processor readable memory, atransceiver for transmitting and receiving signals from an externalcomputing device and a main body comprising a plurality of parts isdisclosed in some embodiments. At least one of the parts is configuredto be responsive to the processor and configured for physical separationfrom the main body based on a separation instruction from the processorthat is initiated by a signal from the computing device. The at leastone part configured for the physical separation further comprises springloaded components in an embodiment. In some embodiments, the pluralityof parts further comprise actuating components for physically moving thetoy figurine from a first position to a second position in response toreceiving an actuating signal from the processor.

In some embodiments, the processor readable memory comprises a code forunique identification of the toy figurine by the external computingdevice. In some embodiments, the toy figurine further comprises a sensorfor sensing presence of an object within a predetermined radius, audiocomponents for generating sounds based on audio signals from theprocessor. In some embodiments the toy figurine is painted to support 3Dobject recognition.

These and other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art with reference to the following detailed description and theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawing figures, which are not to scale, and where like referencenumerals indicate like elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 illustrates an augmented reality game system in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the various intercommunicatingmodules of the AR game system executed by the computing device;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a toy figurine that can be used asa game piece in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is an illustration that depicts how a real world scene istransformed in the virtual world when viewed on the display screen ofthe computing device in accordance with some embodiments of the AR gamesystem;

FIG. 5 is an illustration that shows various game pieces augmented withvirtual controls in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the AR game system that illustratesauto-selection of game pieces and adding special abilities/actions;

FIG. 7 is an illustration that depicts the occurrence of an AR event inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 8 is an illustration that show an AR explosion and the physicalimpact in accordance with embodiments described herein;

FIG. 9 is an illustration that shows an embodiment wherein direct useraction is required for occurrence of an AR event;

FIG. 10 is a display that shows digital enhancements to the two real toyfigurines;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart that details a methodology of the game set up asexecuted by the computing device in accordance with some embodimentsdescribed herein;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart the details a methodology of generating an impactof an event in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart that details the game play in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart that details execution of the user selectedaction for a game piece in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart details execution of the user selected action fora game piece that affects other game pieces in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 16 illustrates the internal architecture of a computing device inaccordance with embodiments described herein; and

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a client deviceimplementation of a computing device in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, andwhich show, by way of illustration, specific example embodiments.Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different formsand, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to beconstrued as not being limited to any example embodiments set forthherein; example embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative.Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matteris intended. Among other things, for example, subject matter may beembodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. Accordingly,embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software,firmware or any combination thereof (other than software per se). Thefollowing detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be takenin a limiting sense.

In the accompanying drawings, some features may be exaggerated to showdetails of particular components (and any size, material and similardetails shown in the figures are intended to be illustrative and notrestrictive). Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the disclosed embodiments.

Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter are described below withreference to block diagrams and operational illustrations of methods anddevices. It is understood that each block of the block diagrams oroperational illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams or operational illustrations, can be implemented by means ofanalog or digital hardware and computer program instructions. Thesecomputer program instructions or logic can be provided to a processor ofa general purpose computer, special purpose computer, ASIC, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, implements the functions/acts specified inthe block diagrams or operational block or blocks.

In some alternate implementations, the functions/acts noted in theblocks can occur out of the order noted in the operationalillustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession can in factbe executed substantially concurrently or the blocks can sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/actsinvolved. Furthermore, the embodiments of methods presented anddescribed as flowcharts in this disclosure are provided by way ofexample in order to provide a more complete understanding of thetechnology. The disclosed methods are not limited to the operations andlogical flow presented herein. Alternative embodiments are contemplatedin which the order of the various operations is altered and in whichsub-operations described as being part of a larger operation areperformed independently.

For the purposes of this disclosure the term “server” should beunderstood to refer to a service point which provides processing,database, and communication facilities. By way of example, and notlimitation, the term “server” can refer to a single, physical processorwith associated communications and data storage and database facilities,or it can refer to a networked or clustered complex of processors andassociated network and storage devices, as well as operating softwareand one or more database systems and applications software which supportthe services provided by the server.

For the purposes of this disclosure a “network” should be understood torefer to a network (or collection of devices) that may couple devices sothat communications may be exchanged, such as peer-to-peercommunications, or those between a server and a client device or othertypes of devices, including between wireless devices coupled via awireless network, for example. A network may also include mass storage,such as network attached storage (NAS), a storage area network (SAN), orother forms of computer or machine readable media, for example. Anetwork may include the Internet, one or more local area networks(LANs), one or more wide area networks (WANs), wire-line typeconnections, wireless type connections, cellular or any combinationthereof. Likewise, sub-networks, which may employ differingarchitectures or may be compliant or compatible with differingprotocols, may interoperate within a larger network. Various types ofdevices may, for example, be made available to provide an interoperablecapability for differing architectures or protocols. As one illustrativeexample, a router may provide a link between otherwise separate andindependent LANs.

For example, a network may enable RF or wireless type communication viaone or more network access technologies, such as Global System forMobile communication (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSMEnvironment (EDGE), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced,Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n,RFID, or the like. A wireless network may include virtually any type ofwireless communication mechanism by which signals may be communicatedbetween devices, such as a client device or a computing device, betweenor within a network, or the like

A communication link may include wired or wireless links now known or tobecome known, for example, radio, infrared, laser, analog telephonelines, such as a twisted wire pair, a coaxial cable, full or fractionaldigital lines including T1, T2, T3, or T4 type lines, IntegratedServices Digital Networks (ISDNs), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs),wireless links including satellite links, or other communication links,such as may be known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, acomputing device or other related electronic devices may be remotelycoupled to a network, such as via a wired or wireless link, for example.

A computing device may be capable of sending or receiving signals, suchas via a wired or wireless network, or may be capable of processing orstoring signals, such as in memory as physical memory states, and may,therefore, operate as a server. Thus, devices capable of operating as aserver may include, as examples, dedicated rack-mounted servers, desktopcomputers, laptop computers, set top boxes, integrated devices combiningvarious features, such as two or more features of the foregoing devices,or the like. Servers may vary widely in configuration or capabilities,but generally a server may include one or more central processing unitsand memory. A server may also include one or more mass storage devices,one or more power supplies, one or more wired or wireless networkinterfaces, one or more input/output interfaces, or one or moreoperating systems, such as Windows Server, Mac OS X, Unix, Linux,FreeBSD, or the like.

Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meaningssuggested or implied in context beyond an explicitly stated meaning.Likewise, the phrase “in one embodiment” as used herein does notnecessarily refer to the same embodiment and the phrase “in anotherembodiment” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a differentembodiment. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matterinclude combinations of example embodiments in whole or in part. Ingeneral, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage incontext. For example, terms, such as “and”, “or”, or “and/or,” as usedherein may include a variety of meanings that may depend at least inpart upon the context in which such terms are used. Typically, “or” ifused to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B,and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here usedin the exclusive sense. In addition, the term “one or more” as usedherein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describeany feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may beused to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristicsin a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as “a,” “an,” or “the,” again,may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a pluralusage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term“based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey anexclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence ofadditional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, dependingat least in part on context.

Rapid developments in technology have led to the use of computingdevices not only for business and scientific purposes but also for theentertainment purposes. Computerized games with complex rules havegained immense popularity. As a result, the video gaming industry hasevolved into a multi-billion dollar industry where different games havetheir communities of devoted fans. As the graphics processing capacityof the microprocessors and data transmission capacities of communicationnetworks improved, more complex games with realistic images weredeveloped and transmitted to users with nearly zero latency. Thisallowed players across the globe to match their skills against eachother for greater enjoyment. However, video games to date have beenconfined to the virtual world and have not been very successful ininterfacing between the virtual worlds and the real world.

Embodiments disclosed herein close the gap between the virtual world(s)and the real world in the gaming environment such that events that occurin the virtual world have real world impact and vice-versa. Moreparticularly, augmented reality gaming systems and method are discussedwherein augmented images of real-world objects, such as figurines,vehicles or landscape elements are presented to players as game piecesand terrain objects within a field of play on the display screen of acomputing device. Particular actions executed by the players in thefield of play, manually or via the computing device, are interpreted andwhere appropriate augmented thereby providing a virtual interface forreal-world interactions. In particular embodiments, the players canaffect figurines regardless of whether the figurines are located inproximity or remotely from them. In fact, some embodiments relate totransforming mundane real-world objects into exciting elements in thevirtual world landscape. Moreover, various graphical user interfaces(GUIs) are provided which are able to lead the players during the gamesand thereby mitigating the need for players to learn or refer to complexrules that are the norm in the realm of video games.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an augmented reality gamesystem 100 in accordance with some embodiments. The gaming system 100comprises an area 102 designated as the field of play by a computingdevice 104. In some embodiments, a user 106 selects the field of play102 to set up a plurality of physical objects such as 112, 114, 116 and118. The plurality of physical objects can include certain designatedgame pieces 112, 114 and 116 and some AR game environmental elements orfield of play objects 118, 120 (interchangeably referred to herein asterrain or landscape elements). In some embodiments the designated gamepieces 112, 114 and 116 can be motorized toy figurines or vehicles(interchangeably referred to herein as game pieces) comprising variousactive and/or passive components. The toy figurines 112, 114 and 116 canbe components sold as part of a base set of the AR game system 100, orcan be obtainable separately. The game pieces can be configured to beuniquely recognizable by the computing device 104 via shape or imagerecognition, or via identifying elements embodied in the game piecesthat communicate with the computing device and each other viacommunication protocols such as but not limited to Bluetooth, IR(Infra-Red), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and the like. Inaddition, the toy figurines 112, 114 and 116 can be further configuredfor physical changes in response to signals from the computing device104 that may be transmitted via the aforementioned communicationprotocols.

In some embodiments, the elements of an AR game environment or field ofplay objects 118, 120 can be toy trees or mountains sold with the ARgaming system 100. In some embodiments, the elements of an AR gameenvironment 118, 120 can be real world objects which have no particularrelevance to the AR game environment such as, a can 118 or a candypacket 120 or similar objects such as overturned cups, scraps of clothor ribbon, wood blocks, and the like. In some embodiments, the computingdevice 104 can scan such objects, calculate their general size and shapeand apply augmented characteristics to the objects in the field of playin a contextually relevant way (and in accordance with game rules), toaugment such objects when viewed via the computing device 104. In such away, an overturned cup becomes a hill, the cloth a dirt mound, and theribbon a stream, as non-limiting examples.

During play, when viewed on the display 122 of the computing device 104,the appearance of these real world objects 118, 120 is transformed sothat they do not appear in their actual form but appear as, for example,trees 124, 128 in the AR gaming environment. It may be appreciated thatexample real world objects 118, 120 and their transformations are onlydiscussed herein for illustration and not limitation. Any real worldobject that comports with the game rules can be used and its appearanceon the display 122 is transformed to suit the AR environment, again inaccordance with the game rules. Further details regarding suchtransformation are discussed infra.

When the placement of the physical objects 112, 114, 116, 118 and 120 iscompleted to the user's 106 satisfaction, the user 106 can turn on thecomputing device 104 and focus the computing device 104 on the field ofplay 102. It may be appreciated that although the computing device 104is shown to be a tablet device, this is just a suggested embodiment.Other mobile or stationary computing devices such as but not limited tosmartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, game consoles, handheldelectronic devices or streaming devices may be used to execute the game.In an embodiment, the camera or other element capable of scanning aphysical space (not shown) of the computing device 104 is aimed orfocused onto the field of play 102 so that a view of all or parts of thefield of play 102 are shown on the display screen 122 of the computingdevice 104. A software application or an ‘app’ which comprises a seriesof instructions executable by a processor (not shown) of the computingdevice 104 is activated by the user 106 in order to begin the AR game.In some embodiments, the app provides the user 106 with a pre-selected,standard “terrain” for the field of play. In some embodiments, the appcan present the user 106 with multiple options related to differentgames or different terrains. For example, options related to game themesbased on real world scenes like snowy and mountainous terrain, tropicalforests, deserts, marshes, urban environments or even fictitioussettings like an alien planet can be presented for user selection. Basedon the user selection of the game theme, a terrain is overlaid on theview showing the field of play 102 on the display screen 122.

Furthermore, based on the user selection of the game theme, a set ofgame rules can be automatically selected for implementation. Forexample, a game can have a one player version or a two player version.Embodiments based on processing power can comprise without limitation, asingle human player game, a single human player playing against thecomputing device 104, multiple human players in physical proximity toeach other such as in the same room sharing the field of play 102, orhaving separate fields of play, and multiple players who aregeographically remote from each other, each having their own field ofplay or sharing a field of play through a virtual presentation at one ormore players' device. Based on the user selected version, a set of gamerules may be selected for implementation by the computing device 104. Insome embodiments, further options relating to the games can be presentedfor user selection. Such presentation of options can be tied to theuser's 106 sophistication levels in accordance with some embodiments.

Upon generating a view of the field of play 102, the computing device104 detects the plurality of physical objects located in the field ofplay 102 so as to differentiate between the game pieces 112,114, 116 andthe field of play objects 118, 120. As described supra, the plurality ofphysical objects can include real world objects or field of play objects118, 120 which form part of the AR terrain. In some embodiments, theappearance of the field of play objects 118 and 120 on the displayscreen 122 is altered, changed or augmented by the computing device 104so that they form elements of the user-selected AR terrain. In someembodiments, any real world object whose size and shape comports withthe game rules can be transformed into an environmental element asdiscussed herein.

For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a forest-like terrainforms the game backdrop and the field of play objects 118 and 120 areaugmented to be displayed like trees 124, 128 in the forest based onpredetermined game rules. In some embodiments, the game can beconfigured to present options related to the augmentation of the fieldof play objects 118, 120 for user selection. For example, based on sizeand shape of the objects, the user 106 can select from various optionssuch as but not limited to, large trees, shrubs, a small hill of rocks,mountain etc. In some embodiments the appearance a real world object isnot altered or transformed in the display of the computing device if thereal world object is too large or too small to form a part of the ARenvironment. In such instances, the user 106 may be instructed to removeor re-position the objects.

In addition to transforming the appearance of the field of play objects118, 120, the computing device 104 further identifies game pieces 112,114 and 116 based on their respective unique identifiers. It may beappreciated that the game pieces 112, 114 or 116 can be configured asany living/non-living entities which may or may not exist in the realworld. In some embodiments, the processor may cause transmission of asignal from the computing device 104 to the game pieces 112, 114, 116 inorder to obtain their identification indicia. Based on their identifyingindicia, the computing device 104 can determine if the placement of thegame pieces 112, 114 and 116 comports with the game rules. For example,if the user 106 has selected a single player war game version, thensoldier figurines 114 and 116 may belong to two opposing groups based onthe game rules. Therefore, the placement shown in FIG. 1 may beerroneous. In this case, the user 106 can be advised by the computingdevice 104 via a message on the display screen 122 or other tactile oraudible event, to move one of the soldiers 114 or 116 to the oppositeside of the field of play 102. If, on the other hand, the user 106selected a two player version to play against another locally orremotely located player (not shown), the soldiers 114 and 116 may belongto the same group and hence the placement shown in FIG. 1 is inaccordance with the game rules. When the computing device 104 determinesthat the placement of the plurality of physical objects 112, 114, 116,118 and 120 comports with the game rules, it signals the user to startthe AR game.

In some embodiments, the AR game can involve moving the physical objects112, 114, 116, 118 and 120 by the user 106. In such instances, the newpositions of any object that is moved can be automatically detected bythe computing device 104 and the scene shown on the display screen 122can be modified to show the new positions. In some embodiments,commencing the AR game can change the appearance of one or more gamepieces 112, 114 or 116. For example, the appearance of game pieces suchas the moveable vehicle 112, or soldiers 114, 116 can be augmented onthe display screen 122 to show the perimeter of the area within whichthe vehicle 112 can properly move in accordance with game rules. In someembodiments, the view of the vehicle 112 can be further augmented with apoint selection control (not shown), the selection of which control cancause the vehicle to move to the selected point.

Furthermore, the appearance of the moveable vehicle 112 or the soldiers114, 116 can be changed or augmented with virtual body parts or weaponsin accordance with one or more of the user selected options and gamerules in some embodiments. In some embodiments, when the virtual weaponof, for example, the moveable vehicle 112 is activated, it can simulateon the display screen 122, a firing of a bullet or a missile or energyray. When the missile or the bullet hits another soldier, for example,soldier 116, then a simulation of the scene is also generated and shownon the display screen 122. Such a display can be accompanied forexample, by sound effects or tactile effects like vibration. Inaddition, a signal is sent to the soldier figurine 116 in order todetach one or more separable parts of the soldier figurine 116 from itsmain body. The separation of parts is not only simulated on the displayscreen 122 but also occurs in the real world. Therefore, when the user106 moves away from the computing device 104, and looks at the soldierfigurine 116 in the real world, he or she may find the separable partsdetached from the main body of the soldier figurine 116 and lying on thefloor. Thus, virtual effects can be translated to have real-world impactin accordance with some embodiments.

It may be appreciated that although the description herein involves amissile shooting from the moveable vehicle 112 to a solider 116 locatedin its vicinity, this is not necessary. While the display screen 122 canshow a missile emerging from the moveable vehicle 112, its effect can befelt remotely. For example, if the user 106 is playing against anotheruser located in the same room or remotely (not shown) in anothercity/country/continent, the effect of the shooting missile can besimulated not only on the display screen 122 of the computing device 104but also on the display screen of the computing device of the otheruser. In addition, when the remote user moves away from his/hercomputing device and views the game piece in the real world, he or shewill find some parts of the soldier figurine which was hit by themissile in the AR game would have fallen to the floor in the real worldat the remote location. Thus, the real-world impact of the AR event isnot confined to the geographic location at which the AR even occurs.Rather, if the AR event occurs at one location its effect in the realworld can manifest at any location regardless of the geographicconfines.

In some embodiments, a physical mat 132 is used to define the field ofplay 102. The user 106 initially lays out the mat 132 thereby definingthe field of play 102 and places the real world objects 112,114, 116,118, 120 within the mat 132. In some embodiments, the mat 132 can alsoinclude a computing device 134 that facilitates controlling the gamepieces 112, 114 and 116. The computing device 134 can include aprocessor, a processor readable memory and a transceiver. Thetransceiver facilitates the computing device 134 to exchange signalswith the computing device 104. In some embodiments, the processorreadable storage medium of the computing device 134 can store the gamerules so that its processor can facilitate better control of the gamepieces as it will be physically connected to the storage medium. Thiscan enhance the effects of the game, for example, by reducing latency.In some embodiments, the mat 132 bears a distinctive pattern thatenables the computing device 102 to accurately determine the position ofthe real world objects 112,114, 116, 118, 120 within the field of play102. For example, the mat 132 has a grid pattern. However, otherpatterns which may include but are not limited to shapes, alphabetical,numeric, or alphanumeric characters, images or trademarks or othervisible or sensible indicia or element can be printed on the gamesurface mat 132 for position determination. In other embodiments the mator game surface can have located in or on, or embedded therein, sensorsthat can detect the position, identity and/or capabilities of gameelements deployed on the surface. For example an antenna or sensor arraycan be positioned in or on a game surface for receiving and sendingsignals to and from the game pieces and other game pieces or thecomputing device(s), or for detecting RFID tags deployed in game pieces,or embedded magnets in the game pieces. In the case of embedded magnets,in a further embodiment, moveable magnets can be positioned beneath thegame surface that can be controlled by the computing device to captureand move pieces via magnetic attraction.

In some embodiments, a stand 136 can be used to hold the computingdevice 104 not only to prevent its displacement which in turn candisturb the scene on the display screen 122 but also to enhance userconvenience during play. The stand 132 can be made of metal, plastic orother material and can have clamps or suction elements (not shown) tofirmly hold the computing device 104. In addition, the clamps can beadjustable so that the user 106 can set them at a desired angle forviewing the field of play 102.

Embodiments of the AR game system 100 thus balance and seamlesslyintegrate the virtual and real worlds. They facilitate easy play asthere is no “friction” or burdensome overhead from the technology. Thisis because the AR game system 100 involves simple “point and play”wherein the user 106 “looks” at the field of play 102 via a camera orother sensor of the computing device 104 followed by a drag and drop ofcommands on the display screen 122 or live movement of the game pieces,or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the user interface shownon the display screen 122 can lead the user 106 by providing onlyrelevant choice of commands during game play. The physical game pieces112, 114 and 116 that are remotely controllable follow the commandsreceived from the computing device 104. The games that can be used withthe AR game system 100 further mimic the natural play patterns in achild's imagination via an intermingling of the real and virtual worlds.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the various intercommunicatingmodules of the AR game system 100 executed by the computing device 104.An input module 210 is configured to receive input from variouscomponents of the computing device 104. In some embodiments, the user106 can convey a desire to begin an AR game by activating the inputmodule 210. The input module 210 receives initial visual or sensed inputfrom the camera or other sensor (not shown) of the computing device 104,alone or in combination with input from the game surface as discussedabove. For example, the camera associated with the computing device 104serves as an input device so that the computing device 104 can generatea virtual view of the field of play 102 which is shown on the displayscreen 122 by the display module 240. In embodiments the virtual viewcan be generated using input from the sensed input of the computingdevice and information from the game surface as to the location andidentity of game pieces and field of play elements. In some embodiments,the field of play 102 further comprises the physical objects 112, 114,116, 118 and 120 which are also shown on the display screen 122.

In some embodiments, the input module 210 further transmits the visualor sensed input from the camera and/or game surface to the compliancemodule 220 which analyzes the distribution of elements in the field ofplay and determines if the placement of the physical objects 112, 114,116, 118 and 120 within the field of play 102 complies with the gamerules 232. The physical object positions can be determined via variousmethodologies which comprise AR techniques such as 3D recognition bysoftware such as VUFORIA™, use of 2D (two dimensional) markers on theobjects, through RFID or via infrared reflection grid or RFID ormagnetic detection when the mat 132 is used. In some embodiments, thecompliance module 220 can include programming logic for delimiting thefield of play 102 and for identifying the game pieces 112, 114 and 116from the field of play objects 118 and 120. As discussed supra, inembodiments the game pieces 112, 114 and 116 are configured with uniqueids which are received by the communication module 260. Any object notrecognized as a game piece can be designated as a field of play objectwhose appearance is altered in accordance with the game rules 232. Ifthe size/shape of the object is not conducive for its use as a field ofplay object the user 106 can be advised by the compliance module 220 toremove the object.

In some embodiments, the communication module 260 is configured fordirect connection with the game pieces 112, 114 and 116 via Bluetooth,WiFi, infrared and the like. In some embodiments wherein the physicalmat 132 with the computing device 134 is used, an indirect communicationchannel can be established between the game pieces 112, 114, 116 and thecomputing device 104 via the computing device 134 located on the mat132. The game pieces 112, 114, 116 can be connected to the computingdevice 134 via wireless channels such as Infrared or RFID channels whichin turn can be connected to the computing device 104 through Bluetooth,WiFi or similar channels, or wired. In order to be configured formultiplayer modes, the computing device 134 can comprise multipleBluetooth chips or the mat 132 can comprise multiple computing devicesthat are similar to the device 134.

In some embodiments, the game rules 232 stored on the computing device104 are programmatic routines that provide outputs based on the signalsfrom the input module 210. As mentioned herein the game rules 232 aredynamically selected based on the user's 106 choice of the game. As thegame rules 232 are embedded as part of the computing device 104, theuser 106 no longer needs the thick rule books that used to govern theminutiae of game play. At each step, the game rules 232 operate to offerthe user 106 only choices that are relevant for that step so that theuser 106 is saved the effort or trouble of calculating all the differentvariables in a game simulation. In some embodiments, the game rules 232can be selected based not only on the particular game selected by theuser 106 but also on the various game options such as,single/multiplayer, proximate/remote opponent, level of difficulty andthe like. For example, if the user 106 has chosen a multi-player gamewith a proximate opponent, the computing device 104 can select gamerules 232 whereby the field of play 102 not only accommodates gamepieces 112, 114 and 116 belonging to the user 106 but also accommodatesthe game pieces belonging to the opponent. On the other hand, if theuser 106 has chosen a multiplayer game with remotely locatedopponent(s), the game rules 232 are selected that allow the user's 106pieces to occupy the entire field of play 102, with the remote user'spieces appearing virtually on the display, and vice-versa for the remoteuser. Another possibility involves the user 106 selecting a singleplayer version in which case the game pieces 112, 116 and 116 need to bedistributed between two opposing groups. In this case, the game rules232 can require the user 106 to identify the members of the opposinggroups among the game pieces 112, 114 and 116.

In some embodiments, the display module 240 is configured to change theappearance of the real world objects 112, 114, 116, 118 and 120 whenshowing them within the AR environment on the display screen 122. Imagesof the field of play elements 118 and 120 can be varied by the displaymodule 240 so that they appear as elements in the AR terrain in thevirtual world based on the shape/size of the objects 118, 120 and gamerules 232. By way of non-limiting example, if the user 106 has selecteda forest as the game locale, the elements 118, 120 are transformed astrees by the display module 240 when shown on the display screen 122 inFIG. 1. Images of game pieces 112, 114 or 116 on the display screen 122can be augmented by appearance and with additional virtual weapons orbody parts. Activation of such virtual weapons by the user 106 canresult in occurrence of AR events which can have real world impact. Forexample, a missile shot from a virtual weapon of the game piece 112 cancause a portion of another game piece 114 to be physically separatedfrom its main body as will be detailed further herein.

Based on the selected game rules 232, the compliance module 220determines if the placements of the real world objects 112, 114, 116,118 and 120 within the field of play 102 complies with game rules 232.If the placements comply with the game rules 232 then the compliancemodule 220 can signal the user 106 to start the game, for example, via apop up message on the display screen 122. As described supra, theappearance of one or more of the game pieces 112, 114, 116 and the fieldof play objects 118, 120 can be altered upon the commencement of thegame. The field of play objects 118, 120 are altered to appear as ARterrain elements. The game pieces 112, 114 and 116 can be augmented withvirtual controls which when activated by the user 106 enable executionof various actions in the virtual world. Such actions can have impact inthe real world as detailed herein.

When the user 106 executes any action during game play, the input module210 detects such user input and the compliance module 220 determines ifsuch action comports with the game rules 232. For example, if the user106 physically moves the game piece 116, the compliance module 220determines if the new position of the game piece 116 is in compliancewith the game rules 232. In case it does not comply with the game rules232, feedback can be provided to the user 106 in accordance with thegame rules 232. The feedback can include signaling the user 106 to movethe game piece 116 or decrementing the user's score 106 and the like.

In an embodiment, if an action executed by the user's 106 opponentduring game play complies with the game rules 232, the computing device104 can receive a signal via the communication module 260 to executecertain actions. For example, if the opponent shoots a missile at thegame piece 114, the communication module 260 can receive a signal whichis communicated to the execution module 250. The execution module 250can cause the computing device 104 to execute actions such as but notlimited to simulating an explosion on the display screen 122 inproximity to the game piece 114, producing sound, tactile or othereffects. Moreover, the communication module 260 can also transmit aseparation instruction to the game piece 114. Upon receiving theseparation instruction, the parts of the game piece 114 configured forphysical separation are detached and fall away from its main body.

In an embodiment, the various modules detailed herein employ3-dimensional object recognition technology such as VUFORIA™ can beemployed for such image augmentation. VUFORIA™ is a software platformfrom QUALCOMM™ that uses computer vision-based image recognition thatenables AR app experiences. SMART TERRAIN™ is a feature of the VUFORIA™SDK (software development kit) that enables development of immersiveaugmented reality gaming experiences via augmenting the physicalenvironment to create new kinds of gaming and visualization applicationssuch as the AR game system 100 described herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a toy figurine 300 that can beused as a game piece in accordance with some embodiments. It may beappreciated that the shape/size of the toy figurine 300 is only shownfor illustration purposes and that a toy figurine of any shape and sizecan be configured with elements as described herein. In other words itmay be an entity, a vehicle, an aircraft or spaceship, an animal, analien or any other game element that might be imagined. The toy figurine300 comprises a main body 340 which includes a processor 310, aprocessor readable storage medium 320 and a transceiver 330 that enablecontrol and communication of the toy figurine 300 with an externalcomputing device 104. Again, the placement of the processor 310, theprocessor readable storage medium 320 and the transceiver 330 as shownin FIG. 3 is only by the way of illustration and that these elements canbe placed anywhere within the toy figurine 300.

The main body 340 has a plurality of parts 342, 344 and 346 attachedthereto. At least a subset of the parts 342, 344, 346 can be configuredwith controllable spring-loaded components or other controllablereleasable securement devices such as magnets or clips or clamps forexample, so as to cause remotely controllable separation from the mainbody 340 in response to receiving a separation instruction from theprocessor 310. At the end of the game (or when game rules permit), theuser 106 can re-attach the parts to the main body 340 for future play.In some embodiments, the transceiver 330 can receive a signal from thecomputing device 104 regarding an AR event occurring in the virtualworld. In response to receiving the signal from the computing device104, the processor 310 can be configured to control the toy figurine 300to be responsive to the AR event (for example an AR laser blast). Insome embodiments, one or more of the parts 342, 344 and 346 can also beconfigured for actuation in response to an actuating instruction fromthe processor 310. This can enable the toy figurine 300 to move from oneposition to another in the real world. In some embodiments, the part 346can be configured with a motorized base or surface to which differentversions of the main bodies can be detachably coupled therebyfacilitating creating different game pieces interchangeable among asingle motorized base 346 and a plurality of different main bodies.

Embodiments can include the toy figurine 300 configured not only forphysical movement or separation but also for moving parts 352, 354, 356of a face 350 or other moveable parts 342, 344, 346. In someembodiments, emotions can be expressed via real or virtual augmentationof the figurine's 300 appearance on the display screen 122. Inembodiments the game piece(s) can have their behavior altered as aresult of game events or opponent moves (e.g. inflicted wounds, hunger,thirst, anger, exhaustion) or via user selection of a behavior or thepassage of time in the game. In some embodiments, the toy figurine 300can communicate via producing light from LEDs on its body 340 or face350 or by producing a sound via one or more of activation of soundelements present within the figurine's 300 body 340 or via the speakersof the computing device 104 or another sound system (not shown) via awired or wireless connection.

In some embodiments, certain portions of the game rules 322 can bestored in the processor readable storage medium 320. For example, if amuddy/marshy or snowy war game locale is selected by the user 106, thecomputing device 104 can initially store certain game rules 322 thataffect the speed of the toy figurine 300 in the storage medium 320initially and over time. Therefore, as the game progresses, theprocessor 310 can cause the toy figurine 300 to move more slowly as itslogs through increasing amounts of virtual mud as the game progressesand the virtual battlefield is “chewed up” by virtual game piecetraversal. Similarly, game rules 322 can also include instructions toproduce certain pre-recorded sounds via speakers which may be includedin the toy figurine 300, or the sounds can be transmitted to remotespeakers such as an audio surround system for a heightened sensoryexperience. In some embodiments, the toy figurine 300 can be paintedwith special visible or invisible (UV) paints or be fabricated from orincorporate materials that can sensed and used to enhance the appearanceof the toy figurine 300 in the virtual world when viewed through thecomputing device 104.

FIG. 4 is an illustration that depicts how a real world scene 400 istransformed in the virtual world 450 when viewed on the display screen122 of the computing device 104 in accordance with some embodiments ofthe AR game system 100. A few randomly selected real-world objects canbe transformed into elements of the AR terrain in the virtual world bymodules of the AR game system 100 executing on the computing device 104.Regularly shaped objects such as boxes 402, 404, a can of soda 406 orirregularly shaped objects such as the books 408 heaped haphazardlytogether or a pile of cloth 410 can be transformed into respective ARterrain elements 412, 414, 416, 418 and 420 based on one or more of thegame rules and user choices.

In some embodiments, the user's 106 choice of a game locale can causethe regularly shaped objects 402, 404, 406 to be transformed intobuildings/ruins 416, 418, 420 and irregularly shaped objects to betransformed as hills or heaps of snow/sand or other organic terrain 412,414. In some embodiments, the display module 240 can automaticallydetermine/select the AR terrain elements into which the objects 402,404, 406, 408 and 410 are to be transformed based, for example, on thegame rules 232. In some embodiments, the user 106 can select fromvarious options to transform the real world objects 402, 404, 406, 408and 410 into AR terrain elements. The options that are possible for agiven game locale or AR terrain can be provided to the user 106 by thegame rules 232 based on the size and shape of the real world objects402, 404, 406, 408 and 410.

FIG. 5 is an illustration 500 that shows various game pieces augmentedwith virtual controls in accordance with some embodiments. Anillustration of a game piece such as, the toy figurine of a soldier 116augmented with a virtual control 502 is shown at 510. In this case, thegame piece 116 is placed on the mat 132 and viewed through the displayscreen 122 of the computing device 104. The appearance of the game piece116 is altered to include the virtual control 504 that shows targetinginformation or the moveable range in which the game piece 116 can bemoved in accordance with the game rules 132. This can involve thecomputing device 104 to identify the game piece 116 and calculation ofits allowed range per the game rules 232. For example, as the gameprogresses and the game piece 116 moves in snow/mud, the AR view showsthe mud/snow sticking to game piece 112 and its moveable range can bereduced accordingly by the game rules 232. In some embodiments, themoveable range can be limited due to the presence of a field of playobject or a virtual obstacle. At 520, the user 106 physically moves thegame piece 116 in compliance with the game rules. If the game piece 116lies outside the allowable range shown by 504 a message can be displayedto the user 106 on the display screen 122 to place the game piece 116within the range set by the same rules 232.

Another illustration of a game piece such as the toy figurine 112augmented by a virtual control 506 when viewed on the display screen 122is shown at 530. The virtual control 506 is similar to the virtualcontrol 504 in that it represents the moveable range within which thegame piece 112 can be moved in accordance with the game rules 132.However, in this case, the virtual control 506 is operable to physicallydisplace the game piece 112 in the real world. Such displacement is madepossible via allowing the user 106 to select on the display screen 122 apoint 508 indicative of the position to which the user 106 desires tomove the game piece 112 within the moveable range 506. In response tothe user selection of the point 508, the computing device 104 canactivate the game piece 112 to move to the new position indicated by thepoint 508 in accordance with embodiments detailed further infra. Theautomatic displacement of the game piece 112 from its original positionshown at 510 to its new position 508 is shown at 540. It can beappreciated that although a soldier figurine 116 is shown as beingdisplaced by a user while a vehicle figurine 112 is shown as beingautomatically displace, this is not necessary. Any toy figurine having amotorized base 346 or other capability for controllable motion (e.g. aquad rotor or magnetic base as described above) can be displaced andrelocated automatically in accordance with embodiments detailed hereinas game rules permit.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the AR game system 100 that illustratesauto-selection of game pieces and adding special abilities/actions. Insome embodiments of the AR game, when a game piece 604 is damaged, itcan be healed by another game piece 602 that is auto-selected by thecomputing device 104 as shown at 610. The game piece 604 can be damageddue to an opponent's action, game rules 232 or combinations thereof. Insome embodiments, the damage can be virtual wherein the game piece 604remains inoperable even when there is no physical change. In someembodiments, the damage can be real wherein separable portions of thegame piece 604 have fallen away due to a separation instruction receivedfrom the gaming device 104. When the game piece 602 is selected forhealing, it can cause an image animation to execute on the displayscreen 122 as shown at 620 and the damaged piece 604 is re-activated bythe game rules 232. In addition, if the damage is physical, the user 106can also be instructed to affix the detached portions back to the mainbody of the game piece 604.

It may be appreciated that the special ability such as healing isdescribed herein only by way of illustration and not limitation and thatother special abilities like assisting with physical help or advice,communication and the like associated with any of the physical gamepieces 112, 114, 116 or other virtual elements of a game can beprovided. In some embodiments, the special abilities can be simulated inthe AR world. In some embodiments, certain parts of the game pieces 112,114, 116 can be physically actuated as a special ability. In someelements, the special abilities can be provided by the game or as areward (or penalty) for an achievement or action in the game. In someembodiments, the special abilities can be selected by the user 106 fromfinite options presented on the display screen 122 in accordance withthe game rules 232. The options for adding special abilities to thephysical/virtual game pieces can be provided to the user 106 as in-gamepurchase, as a reward for achieving certain performance levels, or evenas a limited preview for future purchase.

FIG. 7 is an illustration 700 that depicts the occurrence of an AR eventin accordance with some embodiments. The computing device 104 is focusedon a real toy figurine 702 which is augmented or overlaid with virtualcontrols indicative of its line of sight 708 and range 712 of itsvirtual weapons 706. In some embodiments, the opponent 704 can be a realtoy figurine located geographically proximate, for example, on the samemat (not shown) as the toy figurine 702. In some embodiments, theopponent 704 can be a virtual image of another toy figurine that is at ageographically remote location from the toy figurine 702. When thevirtual weapons 706 are fired by the toy figurine 702, it can have oneor more of a virtual or real impact on the toy figurine 704 regardlessof its geographic location in accordance with the game rules 232. Thefiring can be accompanied with special effects that include suddenlighting explosions, sound, smoke trails in the virtual world and thelike. Similarly, when a missile is approaching the opponent, Dopplersound and visual effects, smoke trails and the like can be produced onthe computing device of the opponent.

FIG. 8 is an illustration 800 that show the AR explosion and thephysical impact of the virtual weapons 706 in accordance withembodiments described herein. When the virtual weapons 706 are fired,their range and point of impact can be calculated, for example, by theexecution module 250 of the computing device 104 based on the game rules232. For example, the game rules 232 can require that the position andangle of the toy 702 firing the weapons be input into the calculation ofthe range and impact point. In addition, other factors such as the kindof virtual weapons 706 being fired can be considered in determining thelevel of impact. For less powerful weapons, the impact can occur only inthe virtual world whereas a real world impact can be observed for morepowerful weapons such as those shown in FIG. 7. Thus, based on thecalculations of range, point of impact and power of the weapons, thecomputing device 104 can transmit a signal directly or to anothercomputing device in or proximate the toy (not shown) controlling the toyfigurine 704 to send a separation instruction. For example, the signalfrom the computing device 104 can be transmitted to the other computingdevice via Bluetooth or WiFi. In some embodiments such as those whereinboth the toy figurines 702, 704 are located in geographic proximity, thecomputing device 104 will be controlling both the figurines 702 and 704.Hence the separation instruction to the toy figurine 704 will betransmitted by the computing device 104 only. Although the descriptionherein refers to weapons 706 as purely virtual, it can be appreciatedthat the weapons 706 can be toy missiles fired by the toy figurine 702via actuation of some physical/AR controls by the user 106.

FIG. 9 is an illustration 900 that shows an embodiment wherein directuser action is required for occurrence of an AR event. The user 106 inthis instance is attempting to defeat an opponent via a sniper shot. Thecomputing device 910 is directed towards the opponent's physical gamepiece 902 by the user. In some embodiments, a view 912 of the field ofplay from the point of view (POV) of the game piece 908 is generated.The user can then execute an action, for example, a drag/drop of avirtual control 904 in order to fire an AR event. As described supra,the AR event can result in virtual and/or real impacts. Thus,embodiments of the AR game system 100 help maintain a balance betweenthe physical and digital play.

In some embodiments, when the user 106 selects to generate a view of thegame environment in the POV of the physical game piece 902, the gamecontinues in the POV of the game piece 902 until the user 106 elects toexit the POV mode or selects another game piece for generating the POV.In the latter case, another POV view of the game environment based onthe selected other game piece can be generated. It may be appreciatedthat in some embodiments, selection of game pieces for generating thePOV views can be restricted based on the game rules. By the way ofillustration and not limitation, POVs can only be generated for the user106 for his/her own game pieces and not opponents game pieces in someembodiments. In some embodiments, multiple players involved in a gamecan be playing in their respective POV modes. Thus, any events thatoccur in the game can be viewed on their respective devices based on thePOV of their selected game piece. Furthermore, the result of events thatoccur in the POV mode can still be viewable when the user 106 switchesback to the third person mode. For example, if a tree which collapsed inresponse to some game event may not have been viewable to the user 106in the POV 912 mode. However, it can be viewable when the user 106switches to the third person mode.

In some embodiments, two views of the gaming environment can begenerated and shown for example, via a split screen mode. The views canbe one or more of POV views associated with the game pieces, thirdperson views or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the displaymodule 240 can be further configured with programming logic toautomatically switch the POV based, for example, on the distance of thecomputing device 104 from particular game pieces. In such embodiments,such options can be selected by the user 106 during the game set up.When the user 106 selects such options, the distance of the computingdevice 104 from the game pieces is monitored and when the computingdevice 104 is within a threshold distance of the physical game piece902, a view of the gaming environment in the point of view of the gamepiece 902 can be automatically generated.

FIG. 10 is a display 1000 that shows digital enhancements to the tworeal toy figurines 702, 704. In some embodiments, with the progress ofgame play, the user 106 can be provided with an opportunity for in-gameupgrades. Thus, when the user's 106 game piece faces a particularlyformidable enemy, the game rules 232 provide the user 106 to access avirtual upgrade for the toy figurine for a price via an e-commerce siteor in-app purchase or other payment mechanism, or earned for achieving acertain move or proficiency level in the game, in exchange for viewingan advertisement, or accepting branding on game pieces, or othermonetization options. In an embodiment, the virtual upgrade can beadditional tools or powers. In an embodiment, the virtual upgrade cancomprise additional weapons. In FIG. 10, the toy figurine 702 isaugmented with an additional weapon “rail gun” 1002. Similarly, the toyfigurine 704 has also received an additional weapon “shoulder launcher”in a virtual upgrade. In some embodiments, the additional tools receivedin virtual upgrades can be available for limited time/turns after whichthey will no longer be available to the user 106. The user 106 may needto pay additional fee in order to continue access to the virtual tools.As the game ecosystem evolves new tools/upgrades may become available tothe user 106 for purchase. Again, it may be appreciated that althoughvirtual upgrades are illustrated as new tools/weapons herein, this isnot necessary. New AR environmental elements, virtual characters,terrains, field of play objects and the like can all be available forvirtual upgrades. Again, as discussed supra, although 702, 704 aredepicted as being in the same location and controlled by the computingdevice 104, this is not necessary. The toy figurines 702, 704 can be ingeographically remote locations and communicating through two differentcomputing devices via the Internet to generate virtual events that havevirtual/real world impact at either of the locations.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart 1100 that details a methodology of the game setup as executed by the computing device 114 in accordance with someembodiments described herein. The method begins at 1102 wherein an inputthat convey's the user's 116 desire to begin an AR game is received. At1104, various user selections related to the game, the AR terrain forthe game, game modes and the like are received. The game rules 232 areselected at 1106 based at least on the user selections received at 1104.The field of play 112 is identified at 1108 and the real world objects112, 114, 116, 118, 120 within the field of play 102 are detected at1110. The game pieces 112, 114 and 116 are identified at 1112. Forexample, all the game pieces 112, 114, 116 can be identified asassociated with a single group or army or based on user selections at1104, different pieces may need to belong to different groups. Thus, theidentification of game pieces at 1112 can affect their appearance in theAR game display.

Based on the received user selections and game rules a display of thefield of play with the augmented game pieces is generated at 1114. At1116 it is determined if the game pieces 112, 114, 116 are positionedwithin the field of play 102 in accordance with the game rules 232. Asdescribed supra, the positions can be determined via 3D objectrecognition techniques, 2 dimensional markers on the game pieces, RFID,position calculations from view obtained using the camera, IR designs onthe mat 132 and similar techniques. In some embodiments, based on theextent of the field of play, the relative positions of the various gamepieces may be coded into the AR game and the current positions of thegame pieces 112, 114, 116 can be compared with such pre-coded positionsin order to make the determination at 1116. If yes, the user 106 issignaled at 1118 that the game can be commenced and the methodterminates on the end block. Else, the game piece that needs to bere-positioned in order to comply with the game rules is identified at1120, an instruction regarding the direction and the extent to which thegame piece(s) needs to be moved is provided at 1122 and the methodreturns to 1116 to determine if the game piece has been positionaccurately.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart 1200 the details a methodology of generating animpact of an event in accordance with some embodiments. The methodcommences at 1202 wherein the occurrence of an event is detected.Various AR and real-world events can occur in a game which can includebut are not limited to events that occur due to user actions or eventsthat can be fired by the AR game rules. Events that occur due to useractions can comprise the user 106 activating an AR control to change theposition of a game piece or activate a weapon. Events that areautomatically fired by the game rules 232 can include but are notlimited to an automatic instruction from the computing device 104 to oneor more of the game pieces 112, 114, 116 to slow down movement or stopwhile moving due to for example, AR obstacles in their path. Moreover,some events can have both virtual impact and impact in the real world.It is therefore determined at 1204 if the event that occurred at 1202has a physical impact. If it has no physical impact, its virtual effectsare simulated by the computing device 104 at 1210 and the methodterminates on the end block. If it has a physical impact, the parametersof the physical impact are calculated at 1206. For example, if the eventis activation of a virtual control for movement of a game piece by theuser 106, the direction, speed and distance associated with motion ofthe game piece is calculated at 1206. Similarly, if a virtual missile isfired, the speed at which it flies, distance of its flight and the pointof impact is calculated at 1206. If an automatic AR event to slow down agame piece is fired at 1202, then the extent to which a game piece needsto slow down is calculated at 1206. Thus, the parameters calculated at1206 are based on the type of effects the events have.

Upon calculation of the parameters, the physical change is effected at1208. Effecting a physical change can comprise moving a vehicular gamepiece 112 by a predetermined distance or sending instructions to a gamepiece which instructions can include but are not limited to separationinstruction, instruction to slow down, instruction to generatesound/light effects and the like. It can be appreciated that all thesteps of the process 1200 need not be executed by a single computingdevice. For example, if the missile is fired by the computing device 104of the user 106 at a game piece controlled by another computing device,then such event is transmitted by the computing device 104 to the othercomputing device via networks such as Bluetooth, WiFi or the Internet.In this case, the steps of determining/calculating the physical impactparameters and effecting the physical change can be carried out by theother computing device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart 1300 that details the game play in accordancewith some embodiments. The method begins at 1302 wherein the user's 106selection of one of the user's own game pieces for playing a turn isreceived. At 1304, the various actions that can be effectuated by theuser 106 via the game piece 112 are displayed to the user 104 on thedisplay screen 122. The actions associated with the selected game piece112 can vary based on the game rules 232 and current game conditions.The actions displayed at 1304 can affect the same game piece or they canaffect multiple game pieces. By the way of illustration and notlimitation, action such as moving the selected game piece 112 from oneposition to another generally does not affect other game pieces.However, other actions such as attacking an opponent's game pieces arepossible in war games in which case other game pieces are affected.Moreover, for the same game piece 112, the actions presented to the user106 at 1304 can depend on various factors such as but not limited to,the game being played, the level of progress in the game, thesophistication of the player 106, the in-game options that the user 106has earned or purchased and the role of the game piece 112 in the game.At 1306, the user selection of one of the actions is received.

At 1308 it is determined if the user selected action necessitatesselection of another game element. For example, the user 106 can selectto interact with another game element. The interaction can comprisewithout limitation, attacking an opponent's game piece or destroying anobstacle comprising a field of play objects 118, 120 or special actionssuch as healing or communication. If is it determined at 1308 that theuser selected to interact with another game element, the user'sselection of the other game element is received at 1310 and theattribute changes resulting from the user selected action are calculatedat 1312. If it is determined at 1308 that the action selected at 1306does not involve another game element, the method proceeds directly to1312 wherein the attribute changes resulting from the user selectedaction are calculated.

In some embodiments, if the user has selected to move the game piece 112has to a new destination, the position of the game piece 112 in thefield of play 102, the various views of the field of play 102, any otherattributes such as appearance of the game piece 112 that may havechanged due to the move need to be determined at 1312. At 1314 theuser's selected action is executed. Thus, at 1314 changes such as butnot limited to the game piece 112 being moved to a new position, firinga virtual control associated with the game piece 112 to affect anothergame element or changes resulting from activation of a special abilityare effectuated.

The field of play conditions and the attributes that changed due to theaction at 1314 are updated at 1316. The updates at 1316 may or may notbe visible to the user 106. Such updates can include but are not limitedto, any changes to the appearance of the game piece(s) and/or field ofplay 102, a refreshed view of the field of play 102 or a recordation ofthe attribute of an affected game piece which may not be immediatelyvisible to the user or selection of further game rules in response tothe executed action. At 1318, it is determined if the game has ended. Ifyes, the process terminates on the end block, else it returns to 1302 toawait the next selection from the user 106.

In some embodiments, the user 106 can select an action that affects thesame game piece selected for playing the turn and wherein the actiondoes not affect other game pieces. By the way of illustration and notlimitation, moving the selected game piece 112 from one position toanother within the field of play 102 is an action that does not affectother game pieces. FIG. 14 is a flowchart 1400 that details execution ofthe user selected action for a game piece which does not affect othergame pieces in accordance with some embodiments. The method begins at1402 wherein the valid moves or permitted paths or destinations arecalculated based on the game rules and the current game conditions.

For example, there may be multiple moves permitted for the selected gamepiece 112 based on the nature of the game or the movement of the gamepiece 112 may be restricted due to a game condition, such as presence ofa physical or virtual obstacle. The valid moves affecting the selectedgame piece 112 thus derived and available for further user selection areshown on the display screen 122 at 1404. The user selection of one ofthe moves for the game piece 112 is received at 1406. At 1408, it isdetermined if the game piece 112 is motorized. As described supra, thephysical game pieces can be motorized to facilitate independent motionbased on the signals from the computing device 104 or they may not bemotorized in which case they need to be moved by the user 106 by hand.If it is determined at 1408 that the game piece 112 is motorized, asignal is transmitted by the computing device 104 at 1410 to move thegame piece to the user-selected destination and the process terminates.If it is determined at 1408 that the game piece is not motorized, theuser 106 is instructed to move the game piece 112 to the selecteddestination at 1412. In some embodiments, the destination can beindicated to the user 106 via visible insignia on the display screen122. At 1414, it is determined of the piece was moved to theselected/valid destination. If it is determined at 1414 that the gamepiece 112 was moved to an invalid destination, the process returns to1412 wherein the user 106 is instructed to move the game piece 112 tothe indicated destination. If at 1414, it is determined if the gamepiece 112 was moved to the selected/valid destination the processterminates on the end block.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart 1500 details execution of the user selectedaction for a game piece that affects other game pieces in accordancewith some embodiments. The method begins at 1502 wherein availableinteractions between the game piece 112 and the selected game elementare displayed. At 1504, the interaction selected by the user 106 isreceived. At 1506, the attributes associated with the user selectedinteraction are calculated. The attributes can be calculated based onbut not limited to the game rules, nature of the game elements selectedfor interaction, position of the game elements, any tools (such asweapons) of the interaction. At 1508, it is determined if the user 106is in the POV mode. If yes, the interaction between the selected gamepiece 112 and the other game elements is carried out in the POV mode asshown at 1512. The user 106 therefore views the interaction in the POVmode. Similarly, if another user is viewing the interaction from his/herrespective computing device then the interaction may or may not be seenby the other user based on their view of the field of play 102. Thus, ifthe other user is viewing the field of play 102 in a POV mode associatedwith a game piece, the interaction is viewable based on the view of thegame piece associated with the POV. If at 1508, it is determined thatthe user 106 is viewing the field of play 102 in a third-person mode orAR mode, a full view of the field of play 102 along with the interactionis shown to the user 106 on the display screen at 1510. In addition, anyphysical changes resulting from the interaction are effectuated at 1510.If another user is viewing the interaction in an AR view, theinteraction can be viewed by the other user. In some embodiments, if theuser 106 or the other user switches from the POV mode to the AR orthird-person mode after the interaction, then the physical changes at1510 will be viewed by them at 1514.

As shown in the example of FIG. 16, internal architecture of a computingdevice 1600 includes one or more processing units (also referred toherein as CPUs) 1612, which interface with at least one computer bus1602. Also interfacing with computer bus 1602 are persistent storagemedium/media 1606, network interface 1614, memory 1604, e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM), run-time transient memory, read only memory (ROM),etc., media disk drive interface 1608, an interface 1620 for a drivethat can read and/or write to media including removable media such asfloppy, CD-ROM, DVD, etc., media, display interface 1610 as interfacefor a monitor or other display device, keyboard interface 1616 asinterface for a keyboard, pointing device interface 1618 as an interfacefor a mouse or other pointing device, and miscellaneous other interfaces1622 not shown individually, such as parallel and serial portinterfaces, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and the like.

Memory 1604 interfaces with computer bus 1602 so as to provideinformation stored in memory 1604 to CPU 1612 during execution ofsoftware programs such as an operating system, application programs,device drivers, and software modules that comprise program code orlogic, and/or computer-executable process steps, incorporatingfunctionality described herein, e.g., one or more of process flowsdescribed herein. CPU 1612 first loads computer-executable process stepsor logic from storage, e.g., memory 1604, storage medium/media 1606,removable media drive, and/or other storage device. CPU 1612 can thenexecute the stored process steps in order to execute the loadedcomputer-executable process steps. Stored data, e.g., data stored by astorage device, can be accessed by CPU 1612 during the execution ofcomputer-executable process steps.

Persistent storage medium/media 1606 is a computer readable storagemedium(s) that can be used to store software and data, e.g., anoperating system and one or more application programs. Persistentstorage medium/media 1606 can also be used to store device drivers, suchas one or more of a digital camera driver, monitor driver, printerdriver, scanner driver, or other device drivers, web pages, contentfiles, metadata, playlists and other files. Persistent storagemedium/media 1606 can further include program modules/program logic inaccordance with embodiments described herein and data files used toimplement one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a client deviceimplementation of a computing device in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure. A client device 1700 may include a computingdevice capable of sending or receiving signals, such as via a wired or awireless network, and capable of running application software or “apps”1710. A client device may, for example, include a desktop computer or aportable device, such as a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a displaypager, a radio frequency (RF) device, an infrared (IR) device, aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a set top box, a wearable computer, anintegrated device combining various features, such as features of theforgoing devices, or the like.

A client device may vary in terms of capabilities or features. Theclient device or a user device can include standard components such as aCPU 1702, power supply 1728, a memory 1718, ROM 1720, BIOS 1722, networkinterface(s) 1730, audio interface 1732, display 1734, keypad 1736,illuminator 1738, I/O interface 1740 interconnected via circuitry 1726.Claimed subject matter is intended to cover a wide range of potentialvariations. For example, the keypad 1736 of a cell phone may include anumeric keypad or a display 1734 of limited functionality, such as amonochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying text. Incontrast, however, as another example, a web-enabled client device 1700may include one or more physical or virtual keyboards 1736, massstorage, one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, globalpositioning system (GPS) 1724 or other location identifying typecapability, Haptic interface 1742, or a display with a high degree offunctionality, such as a touch-sensitive color 2D or 3D display, forexample. The memory 1718 can include Random Access Memory 1704 includingan area for data storage 1708.

A client device 1700 may include or may execute a variety of operatingsystems 1706, including a personal computer operating system, such as aWindows, iOS or Linux, or a mobile operating system, such as iOS,Android, or Windows Mobile, or the like. A client device 1700 mayinclude or may execute a variety of possible applications 1710, such asa client software application 1714 enabling communication with otherdevices, such as communicating one or more messages such as via email,short message service (SMS), or multimedia message service (MMS),including via a network, such as a social network, including, forexample, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, or Google+, to provideonly a few possible examples. A client device 1700 may also include orexecute an application to communicate content, such as, for example,textual content, multimedia content, or the like. A client device 1700may also include or execute applications 1714 to perform a variety ofpossible tasks, such as browsing, searching, playing various forms ofcontent, including locally stored or streamed content, such as, video,or games (such as fantasy sports leagues). The foregoing is provided toillustrate that claimed subject matter is intended to include a widerange of possible features or capabilities.

For the purposes of this disclosure a computer readable medium storescomputer data, which data can include computer program code that isexecutable by a computer, in machine readable form. By way of example,and not limitation, a computer readable medium may comprise computerreadable storage media, for tangible or fixed storage of data, orcommunication media for transient interpretation of code-containingsignals. Computer readable storage media, as used herein, refers tophysical or tangible storage (as opposed to signals) and includeswithout limitation volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for thetangible storage of information such as computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data. Computer readablestorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other physical ormaterial medium which can be used to tangibly store the desiredinformation or data or instructions and which can be accessed by acomputer or processor.

For the purposes of this disclosure a system or module is a software,hardware, or firmware (or combinations thereof), process orfunctionality, or component thereof, that performs or facilitates theprocesses, features, and/or functions described herein (with or withouthuman interaction or augmentation). A module can include sub-modules.Software components of a module may be stored on a computer readablemedium. Modules may be integral to one or more servers, or be loaded andexecuted by one or more servers. One or more modules may be grouped intoan engine or an application.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods and systems ofthe present disclosure may be implemented in many manners and as suchare not to be limited by the foregoing exemplary embodiments andexamples. In other words, functional elements being performed by singleor multiple components, in various combinations of hardware and softwareor firmware, and individual functions, may be distributed among softwareapplications at either the client or server or both. In this regard, anynumber of the features of the different embodiments described herein maybe combined into single or multiple embodiments, and alternateembodiments having fewer than, or more than, all of the featuresdescribed herein are possible. Functionality may also be, in whole or inpart, distributed among multiple components, in manners now known or tobecome known. Thus, myriad software/hardware/firmware combinations arepossible in achieving the functions, features, interfaces andpreferences described herein. Moreover, the scope of the presentdisclosure covers conventionally known manners for carrying out thedescribed features and functions and interfaces, as well as thosevariations and modifications that may be made to the hardware orsoftware or firmware components described herein as would be understoodby those skilled in the art now and hereafter.

While the system and method have been described in terms of one or moreembodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure need not belimited to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similarstructures. The present disclosure includes any and all embodiments ofthe following claims.

1-20. (canceled) 21) A game piece comprising: a processor; a processorreadable memory; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals toand from an object recognizing computing device that enforces gamerules; a main body configured for unique, visible object recognition bythe object recognizing computing device; and a motorized base detachablyand re-attachably coupled to the main body and in communication withsaid transceiver, the base configured to physically move the game pieceover a distance on a field of play from a first position on the field ofplay to a second position on the field of play in response to receivingan actuating signal from the processor, the actuating signal responsiveto a move signal from the object recognizing computing device, andwherein the first position is different from the second position. 22)The game piece of claim 21, the motorized base is configured withmagnetic components. 23) The game piece of claim 21, wherein the mainbody comprises a plurality of parts, at least one of the partsconfigured to be responsive to the processor and configured for physicalseparation from the main body based on a separation instruction from theprocessor that is initiated by a control signal from the objectrecognizing computing device. 24) The game piece of claim 21, whereinthe processor readable memory comprises a code for unique identificationof the game piece by the external object recognizing computing device.25) The game piece of claim 21, further comprising a sensor for sensingthe presence of an object within a predetermined radius, the sensor incommunication with the object recognizing computing device via thetransceiver. 26) The game piece of claim 21, further comprising audiocomponents for generating sounds based on audio generation signals fromthe processor. 27) The game piece of claim 21, the configuration forobject recognition comprising a color of selected surfaces of said mainbody. 28) The game piece of claim 21, the configuration for visibleobject recognition comprising a predetermined shape of a surface of themain body. 29) The game piece of claim 21, the configuration for visibleobject recognition comprising a predetermined size of the main body. 30)The game piece of claim 21, wherein the at least one part is configuredfor physical separation via spring loading. 31) The game piece of claim21 wherein the signals are wireless signals. 32) The game piece of claim21, wherein the signals are IR signals. 33) The game piece of claim 21,wherein the signals are Bluetooth signals. 34) The game piece of claim21, further comprising at least one LED (Light Emitting Diode) on themain body. 35) The game piece of claim 21, the processor readable memorycomprises code to slow down a speed of movement of the game piece withpassage of time during a game play. 36) The game piece of claim 21,further comprising a two dimensional (2D) marker thereon for the uniquevisible object recognition by the object recognizing computing device.37) The game piece of claim 21, the processor readable memory furthercomprising: code for transmitting a game piece identifying game playsignal; and code for receiving the control signal that is generated inresponse to the game piece identifying game play signal. 38) The gamepiece of claim 21, the processor readable memory further comprising codefor: code for receiving the move signal from the object recognizingcomputing device; and code for generating the actuating signal inresponse to receiving the move signal, the actuating signal activatingthe actuating components to move the game piece from the first positionto the second position, the first position being a current position ofthe game piece on the field of play and the second position being a userselected position on the field of play. 39) The game piece of claim 38configured for determining the second position based on detectablemarkings on a mat on which the game piece is currently positioned, themat comprising the field of play. 40) The game piece of claim 21,wherein the motorized base is configured to accept a plurality ofdiffering main bodies each configured for unique visible objectrecognition so as to enable a change in appearance of the game piece.